Leap into an immersive balloon experience that is fun, funky and 100% unique.

Balloons are more than just a colorful toy. They can spread joy and laughter all over the world. Featuring self-taught balloon twister and artist extraordinaire Addi Somekh, this exhibit will showcase changing installations made entirely out of balloons and photographs from the Balloon Hat Experience. 

The installations will feature vibrant balloon gardens, colorful graffiti balloons, and life-sized balloon elephants. This balloon art will be featured alongside photos from the Balloon Hat Experience, a 37-country-wide balloon-hat-making tour Somekh went on with photographer Charlie Eckert.

More about Addi Somekh

Addi Somekh is an international balloon artist who taught himself how to twist balloons as a student at UC Santa Cruz. Ranging from abstract botanical forms to zany eye candy, Addi’s balloon art pushes the boundaries of what a balloon can do- both physically and emotionally. At the heart, Addi’s balloon art investigates laughter as a universal human experience—an attempt to show that all of us are born with a sense of humor, and that our laughter sounds the same in every language. From 1996 to 2000, Addi and photographer Charlie Eckert traveled through 34 countries and 20 U.S. states, twisting over 100,000 balloons. Photographs from the Balloon Hat Experience will be on display in concert with rotating balloon installations. The exhibition will blow your mind. It will make you giggle. And it might change the way you see balloons forever.

Addi is based in LA but often pops into Santa Cruz, where he teaches at UCSC and leads the UCSC Balloon Art Brigade. His current obsession is playing the Balloon Bass, a three and a half octave musical instrument that is– you guessed it– entirely made from balloons. Learn more about his band The Unpopables here.